It’s been an agonizingly long wait for PC users eager to play Final Fantasy XVI. While a PC version was officially announced at PAX West last September, the game remains a PS5 exclusive. However, a recent update for Nvidia’s Game Ready & Studio Driver seems to suggest that could soon change. The official patch notes do not make any mention of the game, but Reddit users have discovered that the update contains profiles for both Final Fantasy XVI as well as a demo for the game. This is already fueling speculation that an announcement from Square Enix could come soon, possibly at Gamescom later this month, or at Tokyo Game Show in September.ย
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Final Fantasy XVI was released on PS5 back in June 2023. Like many other recent Square Enix games, Final Fantasy XVI was marketed as a timed exclusive for the console, with the expectation that it would eventually come to PC, just as we saw with Final Fantasy VII Remake. Earlier this year, producer Naoki Yoshida told Noisy Pixel that “once the PC version is released, we’re thinking about hopefully moving to other platforms,” which would seem to suggest that a version for Xbox is also in the works.ย
While Final Fantasy XVI was critically successful, Square Enix has been less than pleased with sales for the game, as well as this year’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. In May, the publisher announced plans to move away from PS5 exclusives, with a plan to “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs.” That seems to suggest we could see future Final Fantasy games released on multiple platforms at the same time again, or at least wait times that aren’t more than a year apart.ย
Shorter waits for PC players should be a much better thing in the future, but it’s not as helpful with the current games that have yet to release on the platform. Hopefully PC users will finally get a chance to enjoy Final Fantasy XVI very soon, and it will result in stronger overall sales for the game. At the very least, a release now seems closer than ever!ย
Are you eagerly awaiting a PC release for Final Fantasy XVI? Do you think we’ll get an announcement at Gamescom or Tokyo Game Show? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: PC Gamer]
